GLEN AFFRIC NORTH
Alwyn running, actually on Ben Lomond - today's area is far to remote for photos. Photo Rob Howard
23.2 miles 2833 metres
Start Monday 04.30
Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan 05.28
Mullach na Dheiragain 06.09
An Socach 06.54
Mam Sodhail 07.54
Beinn Fhionlaidh 08.40
Carn Eighe 09.22
Tom a' Choinnich 10.17
Toll Creagach 10.58
Finish 11.43
Squares: yellow - changeover, red - finish. Circles summits: green - this leg, purple - to do. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 9.00 Actual 7.23
Alwyn writes:
The prelude was a walk in from Cluanie to Alltbeithe Y.H. In Glen Affric. A fine summer night walk despite an abortive attempt to take the mountain bike up the stony track. Reach Alltbeithe at 12.30 am; two simple huts lost in a silent elemental landscape of water, rock, tussock and sky.
A sign on the youth hostel doors says, 'late arrivals please use bunkhouse to rear.' I decided to bivvy outside the front door so Tony can find me. As I settle down a strange, haunting noise nearby – a low, throbbing note, like a quavering South American pan-pipe. (According to John, probably snipe drumming their tail feathers in courtship displays.) Midges drive me completely into the bivvy bag.
Tony arrives at 4.20 am and I'm off up Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan. Halfway up the slope I realise I am eating Tony's rations! I finish them. A deer starts up from behind a boulder ten yards away and hurries over the skyline.
Ceathreamhnan and the next Munro go easily, as does the third with a good traverse line back below Ceathreamhnan. Mam Sodhail and Carn Eighe loom up into black cloud and the 1250 ft climb up the former leaves me very tired. Into the clag, strong east wind and it's now raining.
Out to Beinn Fhionnlaidh, a fine prow of a hill jutting out over Loch Mullardoch and clear of cloud – Only spoiled by the thought of the 1000 ft climb back up Carn Eighe!
Raining heavily now, and the rough, twisting, undulating east ridge to Tom a' Coinnich is made doubly difficult by the mist – I daren't traverse the 'bumps' and so do four 'tops' as well!
The final descent off Toll Creagach to Mullardoch dam is most memorable for the mile and a half of pathless, knee-deep heather at the end – just to finish me off!
Peaks done 54 time taken 2 days 9 hours peaks to go 223
A short drive down the road takes them to John's start, before Diana drives the van round to the mothership.
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